Humanity is obsessed with answering one question. What is our purpose in life? This article will describe a set-by-step process that you can do to help explore your feelings and options in life, by the end of it you should have a solid tool to use in your life to help give you a meaningful direction!
There are three steps to take to discover the purpose of your life:
- Understand the principle of choice
- Create your own “underlying principle”
- Align your life with this principle
The Principle of Choice
“The greatest power we have is the power of choice” – Norman Vincent Peale
When making a choice we are telling our subconscious mind what our desires are. The activity of making choices is important because once your subconscious mind is aware of those desires, it will begin to manifest those desires into your life. The choices you make will eventually become your goal. If you are honest in your pursuit of these goals, you should be able to accomplish them.
Being indecisive creates frustration and anxiety in the mind, and it can also lead to confusion in your subconscious about what your desires actually are. It is important that choices are made by you, and align with your true desires, purposes, and abilities. Many of us allow others to make choices for us or choose what we think is the “correct” option, even if that means we go against our own desires and wants. Remember, what is right for someone else, may not be right for you.
To start, make a list of the things that interest you, things you enjoy, make you feel happy, inspire you, etc. After making your list, answer these questions:
- What do you love?
- Why do you love this thing (object, person, etc)?
- Is it possible to make a living off of this love, or to make money?
Create Your Underlying Principle
Next, you need to examine the list you made and find if there is a recurring theme within it. There could be a contribution you make that comes up, an effect on someone, and an act. Whatever it may be, try to find a central theme and create a short statement. This will act as your “mission statement”. This statement can evolve as you grow, but its core should stay the same.
Align Your Life With Your Underlying Principle
The last step is to map out your path to your purpose. Once that is done, you can easily start implementing changes into your life to help you align it with your underlying purpose. By making small changes, you can begin living this principle every day! It may take a few days, weeks even, to become aware of this in your life, but you will start to notice a change in your enthusiasm for life!
By following these steps, you’ll be on your way to finding your purpose! As you go through this process remember this: “You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously”. – Steve Maraboli